


Thoughts Lost in Transmission

by yeah_no_sorry



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff, M/M, Mutual Pining, Possibly Unrequited Love, kind of, they cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-14
Updated: 2016-07-29
Packaged: 2018-06-08 07:19:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 9,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6844645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yeah_no_sorry/pseuds/yeah_no_sorry
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nursey and Dex figure out their feelings. Nursey is a shamelessly artsy poet. Dex is a practical, secretly emotional, and very confused boy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Last Game

**Author's Note:**

> So they just lost the game Bitty's sophomore year and stuff happens.  
> I like to imagine all the fun NurseyDex emotions that happen on the sidelines and the rest of the team like low key knows, but doesn't want to say anything.

Nursey focuses on the ground as he and his teammates dejectedly trudge off the ice. He can feel the gaze from the stands raking his back, cheers piercing the air while frustration crackles through his friends. As they move away from the crowd, Nursey longs for the tinny buzz of the locker room. Sometimes, especially after a loss, it can feel a little crowded, but Nursey doesn’t mind. There’s something soothing about the press of his teammates around him: the camaraderie, the comfort of familiarity and mutual failure. Maybe that will be enough to quell the muddled rush of emotion building up inside him. 

When they reach the locker room, a shaking Dex throws his helmet across the room, and Nursey peers at him out of the corner of his eye. He wants to say something, do something to wipe that angry red flush away and still the torrent of frustration trembling in Dex’s taut shoulders, the clench of his pursed lips and set jaw. Every inch of his exposed skin burns bright red, from his forehead down to the curve of his neck where it disappears into his jersey. But Nursey can’t do anything, can’t say anything that would make it better, so he places a steady hand on Dex’s back, trying to will some semblance of comfort into him, help him see that things will be okay. He feels Dex’s shoulder blades twitch for a second under his jersey, tense up and then relax, but only for a moment. His body still shakes like a leaf shuddering in the wind, and Nursey feels a desperate surge of protectiveness crash over him.

They change in silence. Jack is nowhere to be seen, and it’s better that way because Nursey doesn’t know how he’ll be able to face him. He feels sick to his stomach thinking about how Jack and Shitty are going to graduate this year without the win that they had fought so hard for. He glares at the ground, unlacing his skates as he attempts to quiet the swirling dismay in his chest.

When Nursey finally looks up, Dex catches his eye, his skin now a shade lighter than the angry red flush he had shone with before. He’s calmer now, still pink, his expression subdued. Nursey tries for a smile but feels the corners of his mouth fall too quickly, and Dex feebly rolls his eyes in response. Nursey smiles a little more easily then, because this is familiarity, this crudely balanced back and forth that he’s come to know and appreciate so much about their relationship. Dex looks up again, raises an eyebrow, but Nursey is still smiling faintly at the way his scruffy orange attempt at a playoff beard shifts in the bright light.

At that moment, Jack appears at the entrance to the locker room, looking pale and exhausted, still fully clad in his hockey gear. Bitty is close behind. Jack surveys the team for a few moments, and everyone looks at him expectantly. There’s a pause that feels like an eternity before Jack finally cracks a tired smile and says, “Thank god Chowder can finally shave all that hair off now, eh?” It sounds forced and colorless, but the room slowly fills with chuckles, and the crushing silence is over. Nursey glances over at Dex, who shoots him a smirk, and smiles inwardly. Maybe moving on won’t be so hard after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, that's the first chapter.  
> Pretty short, but I wanted to write the next part from Dex's perspective (yes I will be switching, don't get confused).  
> This is based off of that one panel where Nursey is comforting a shaking Dex after the game, obviously.  
> I tried to incorporate some stuff about the team-see how Bitty and Jack not so subtlely came back to the locker room together? Those two. Anyway, yeah.


	2. Post-Game Blues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dex is in love with Nursey, the poor darling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here they prep for the drive home.  
> Of course, Nursey and Dex sit together in the back of the bus and they comfort each other when they lose and it's cute, shut up.

Dex sits at the window in the backseat of the bus, pressing his forehead against the cool glass. His teammates shuffle around as they tuck their bags away, and Dex peers up at them, his vision clouding with exhaustion. Nursey wanders over, wordlessly sitting down next to him, and Dex pretends to be annoyed about it but is actually glad that he’s there. They’ve been through a lot since their early days on the team, back when they could barely stand the sight of each other, and now, Nursey has somehow become his best friend. Maybe it’s just the immediate proximity, the constant companionship that forced them to form this bond, but Dex knows, although he would never admit it, that he and Nursey are something much more than just obligatory friends. There’s always been something different between them: the tenderness in Nursey’s eyes when Dex sometimes catches him staring, the flutter that Dex feels when Nursey gets too close, the incessant chirping and poking and prodding at one another for a hint of something, anything, and Dex tells himself that he has no clue what he wants from this, this thing. But he knows. 

He turns his head back to the window and looks out, ignoring the way the grass glitters after the rainfall that accompanied them as they walked to the van, laden heavy with misery and bags stuffed with hockey gear. Dex knows it’s not his fault. He played his best and hardest in this game, for Shitty, for Jack, for his whole damn team. But it wasn’t enough. He feels disheartened and lost and all around pissed off, but what can he do, really. He glances at Nursey out of the corner of his eye, but he’s looking straight ahead. Dex desperately wants to say something to get Nursey to talk to him, chirp him, even yell at him. He feels lonely, closed up within himself, even in this bus where he sits surrounded by people. For some reason Nursey is keeping his distance, maybe giving him the space that he thinks Dex wants, but that’s not what he wants at all.

He clears his throat. “So uh… I guess we kinda screwed up today, huh?” Dex says, feeling his voice crack. It’s almost inaudible, but Nursey hears him. 

“Dude, this was so not your fault. You don’t need to blame yourself for every problem the team has, okay? Just chill,” Nursey answers almost immediately, and even though Dex feels his eyebrows come together in automatic annoyance when Nursey tells him to “chill,” he knows his friend is right, and it’s exactly what Dex needs to hear. 

“Yeah. I guess you’re right,” he says with some difficulty. 

“I know, man. I just don’t think you should beat yourself up about this. Seriously.” Nursey looks at him gently, his eyes two undecipherable pools of green hazel, and Dex feels a wave of heat prickling at his neck as his heart beats a little faster. He turns back to the window.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah. Dex is confused.  
> I tried to establish two different narrative voices.  
> Nursey for example, relates his feelings in a much more romantic, descriptive way. He also notices things like scenery, people's (namely Dex's) physical appearances, etc.  
> Dex, on the other hand, struggles to communicate his feelings in the same way, and is also just more inept at identifying them. He ignores things like scenery and refrains from really describing stuff, more to the point, I guess.  
> Anyway, yeah.The best is yet to come, so stick around, folks.


	3. Roadie Magic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nursey suffers from feelings.

Nursey tries to sleep, but he can’t stop thinking about the game, and eventually gives up, leaning back and surveying his surroundings. Dex, who’d fallen asleep almost as soon as they’d started moving, is leaning against the window, and Nursey admires the way the fading light dapples his face and blurs his freckles as the bus bumps along the road. The sun finally disappears as they pull out onto the highway, and he watches the sky fill with stars to accompany the moon in its hushed vigil. It’s beautiful in a bittersweet way, because Nursey knows that if they had won, the bus would be in havoc right now, he and Dex would be going over all the details of the game, and Nursey wouldn’t even have noticed the sky and the way it looks as it fades and stretches in the dark. 

Under the watery glow of night, Dex looks pale and small, the usual heightened color of his complexion drained and softened by the moonlight. He’s so close that Nursey could reach out, ruffle the soft, ginger hair of his companion, take up his long skinny white fingers in his own broader, brown ones. He doesn’t.

Glancing around the bus, Nursey sees that most of his teammates are asleep. Ransom and Holster wave at him from where they’re busy playing a quiet game of “Solitaire” together, and Nursey raises his eyebrows. Leave it to those two to figure out how to turn a one-person game into a two-person thing. He sees the top of Bitty’s head and the tips of Lardo’s spiky black hair bobbing close together up front, but he can’t tell if they’re sleeping or talking. 

At that moment, Dex shifts in his seat as the bus hits a bump in the road, and suddenly Nursey is holding him. Soft ginger hair tickles his neck and those long thin fingers lie, delicately balanced, on his leg. Nursey doesn’t move. He’s afraid to shift and wake Dex up because he knows he can have this moment to himself, quietly cuddled up to him, and he spends minutes that drag into hours trying to memorize the freckled angles of Dex's face, which is so close to his own that he could kiss it. He doesn’t. 

When the bus stops, the rest of the hockey team begins to trickle out. Lardo does a sweep of the bus and raises her eyebrows when she sees Nursey with Dex still sleeping soundly at his side.

“Nursey…” she says.

“Yeah, hold on. Let me just give him a couple minutes,” Nursey says casually, trying to ignore the loneliness blossoming in his chest. Lardo nods, even though they both know that Nursey really means, “Give me a couple minutes.”

Nursey can feel the exact moment that Dex wakes up. His eyelashes flutter open against Nursey’s neck, and for a second, all is still. But in the next moment, Dex’s body tenses up and he jumps away as though he’s been burned. 

“Um, sorry,” he says, looking everywhere but at Nursey.

“It’s cool,” he answers, feeling his chest ache with the effort. 

“No I mean, I really didn’t mean to sleep on you, like, that’s weird, right? Sorry, uh…”

“No. It’s my bad,” Nursey says, standing up abruptly. “I should’ve known it would make you uncomfortable, and I didn’t move.” 

“What? No, I didn’t mean that." Even Dex winces at the forced tone is his own voice and Nursey stands there dumbly for a moment, despondent. The ache in his chest is worse, and it’s starting to claw at his stomach. How could he have acted so stupid? Stupid. His thoughts are a whirlpool as he tries to remain level-headed.

Unfortunately, Dex takes the silence as a bad sign and quickly pushes past him, still refusing to make eye contact as he trudges determinedly down the aisle. For a second, Nursey wants to call out, to grab Dex’s hand and pull him close again, pretend that they can stay like that forever. He doesn’t.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh the angst! The artsy poetness! Flustered Dex! Nursey trying to control his urges! There is cute stuff later. I just need these kids to sort out their issues and kiss already.


	4. I Don't Mind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dex goes to Faber to dramatically look out at the ice because he's a fucking hockey bro.

Dex sleeps in the next day. He feels shitty after the team’s loss, not to mention the embarrassing moment last night when he’d fallen asleep on Nursey: he can still remember the way his heart had stopped the second he realized whose arms were tenderly wrapped around his shoulders, whose spicy scent was draped over him like gentle sunlight. Had Nursey felt the relentless pounding in Dex’s chest at that moment? Had he noticed the heat pouring off of his face or seen the blush surging to his cheeks and burning through his freckles? 

Dex groaned into his pillow. He had been so embarrassed that he’d acted as though even touching Nursey was the worst thing he could ever do, so now Nursey was probably pissed, and he was right to be. Dex winces at the memory of the hurt in Nursey’s expression when Dex had jumped away from him, and the way his eyes had crackled when Dex pushed past him and ran off the bus to escape the clawing panic in his gut. He knows he has to talk to Nursey. They’re friends, and Dex doesn’t want that to change.

Dex stops in at the Haus, looking for Nursey, but he’s nowhere to be found. He frowns. After all this time it took for them to reach their tentative truce, to find the common ground where they could finally get along, he’d probably screwed it up by making a huge deal out of nothing. But at the same time, maybe he and Nursey could never really be friends. Dex likes Nursey. Does Nursey like him? All those moments where the two of them had teetered on the edge of friendship, those moments when Dex had felt the tension, had felt his incapability to resist Nursey’s pull on him, had Nursey felt that too? Dex can’t be sure, but he’s spent enough time ignoring and suppressing and clenching up inside to know that his feelings aren’t going away anytime soon, and he’s sick of living with the stress of it constantly itching at the back of his neck and muddling his brain. 

He kicks at the dirt in frustration as he walks away from the Haus, tingling with the memory of how tightly Nursey had held him and trying anxiously to suppress the frenzied heartbeat in his chest. As he ambles along, lost in his own depressing thoughts, he finds himself at Faber.

Dex plops down in the stands, surveying the serene expanse of ice before him, and replays the game from yesterday in his head, frowning regretfully and sniffing a little in the cold.  
He’s so deep in thought that he jumps when Nursey appears out of nowhere, taking a seat next to him. 

“Hey Dex,” Nursey says. “Still thinking about the game?”

“Yeah, I guess,” Dex responds. “I, uh, didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Well, so sorry to interrupt your alone time, but you’re not the only one who comes here to dramatically look out at the ice and ponder life,” Nursey says, grinning crookedly and leaning in towards Dex in a way that makes his stomach flip.

Dex rolls his eyes. “Oh, ha ha. You know what I mean.”

“So, how’s your day going? Much better now that I’m here, I’m sure,” Nursey says playfully, giving Dex a nudge.

“Oh yeah, you and the dead mouse I found in the Haus this morning. Highlights of the day.”

“I’m truly honored by that assertion, Poindexter.”

Dex laughs, then swallows slowly, “Um…actually, I was kind of looking for you today.” Dex glances sidelong at his companion to see if his expression changes. Nursey raises an eyebrow, looking amused. “Did you miss me that much?”

“Ha. No, I…just wanted to say I’m sorry. For being a jerk last night.”

Nursey pauses, pursing his lips and gazing out at Faber. “Dude, forget it. I told you it’s fine.”

“No. I mean…” 

“What is it?” Nursey asks, looking at him with that undecipherable expression lingering behind his eyes. Dex takes a deep breath, feeling the words tighten in his chest as he tries to form them. 

“Dex, just tell me,” Nursey says, looking suspicious.

“Okay…yeah,” Dex sputters, fidgeting with his hands in his lap. He braves a glance over at Nursey and feels a surge of heat in his face when he sees how focused Nursey looks, his deep olive green eyes hanging in his face and blazing with intensity. Dex swallows. He can do this.

“I didn’t mind,” he finally forces out, choking on his voice.

“What?”

“I didn’t mind it, when you were…holding me. I…liked it, actually.” Dex stops, cringing a little at how clumsily his words tumble out. He reaches for Nursey’s hand frenziedly, heart fluttering at how quickly Nursey responds, grasping Dex’s narrow fingers tighter in his warm, broad hands.

“Didn’t mind, huh?” Nursey smiles now, the guarded expression gone from his eyes, and sits there, holding Dex’s hand and grinning unabashedly. 

“Nope. Not even a little,” Dex responds, now unable to keep the smile off his own face. 

“Good to know.”

“So uh…” Dex begins, but at that moment Nursey leans in, catching Dex’s cold, chapped lips with his own, and Dex’s breath stops for a second before he presses back. One of Nursey’s hands knots itself into Dex’s hair and the other settles tenderly on his face, while Dex’s arms wrap around the back of Nursey’s neck and encircle his waist in an effort to pull him impossibly closer. When he finally draws away, Dex almost aches with the effort, breathless, with the tingle of Nursey’s tongue lingering on his lips. They stare at each other for a few seconds before he realizes what just happened, and he feels his eyebrows come together. 

“Wait, what?” 

“Shut up, Poindexter.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT HAPPENED lol


	5. Forever and a Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trying to get used to stuff? Dex has issues. Nurse is a chivalrous asshole.

“ ‘For where thou art, there is the world itself, and where thou art not, desolation,’ ” Nursey quotes, twirling a pen in his hands as he pores over his copy of Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part 2. He and Dex are seated on the Haus couch; Dex types away on his computer while Nursey flies through some assigned reading, reading his favorite lines out loud as he goes. For a moment, he wonders if Dex is so focused on his work that he didn’t hear him, but then Dex rolls his eyes and Nursey spots a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.  


“Beautiful,” Dex says, somewhat sarcastically.  


“Isn’t it? Can’t go wrong with a hopeless romantic like Shakespeare,” Nursey replies, shifting his weight and leaning in towards Dex. “You may have heard of him?”  


“I know who Shakespeare is, asshole.”  


“Do you? I must say, I’m impressed.”  


“Well then it can’t be very hard to impress you.”  


“I thought that was pretty self explanatory based off of my taste in men alone,” Nursey replies smugly.  


“Ouch.” Dex grins and presses a kiss on Nursey’s forehead.  
At that moment, they hear the Haus door open. Nursey feels Dex tense up against him and the warmth that was just there suddenly disappears as Dex hastily returns to his computer. Nursey shifts back to his spot on the couch with what he hopes is an inaudible sigh just as Shitty pops his head in the room. “Hey guys, you seen Lards anywhere?”  


“Yeah, I think she went down to Superberry like five minutes ago,” Nursey supplies, trying not to look at Dex, who furiously types away, his face a fading shimmer of pink.  


“Oh, okay. I’ll meet her there, then. Want to come with?” Shitty asks.  


“Nah, we’re good. Right, Dex?”  


“Yeah…right.”  


Shitty pauses for a second, raises his eyebrows, but doesn’t say anything. “Ok, cool. So long.”

“I, uh, I should get back to my dorm,” Dex says almost as soon as Shitty leaves. He starts shoving his laptop in his bag. “I’ll see you later. I guess.”  
Before Nursey can say anything, Dex is gone. Nursey groans, rubbing his eyes as he slumps into the couch. Ever since they kissed at Faber, he feels like he and Dex have barely had any time to themselves. In those rare moments when they are alone, Dex is soft and loose, free to be himself, free to cry or laugh, chirp him or kiss him. But when they’re not alone, Dex is stiff and guarded. And Nursey gets it. He remembers how fucking hard it was for him to come out to his parents, and for someone like Dex, he knows it can’t be easy, but he just wants Dex to know that he is there for him. Unfortunately, a little part of him still wants to hold hands with him and kiss his vibrant red hair in public and show off his freckled wonder of a boyfriend to the world. They haven’t even been on a real date yet. 

Nursey involuntarily finds himself at Dex’s dorm a few minutes later. After a few knocks, Dex opens the door, looking pale and a little wary.  


“Hey Nurse.”  


“We should hang out. Let’s go on a date.”  


“Be quiet, dude,” Dex says nervously.  


“Let’s do it. It’ll be chill. No PDA, I promise.”  


“I-I don’t know.”  


Nursey looks down for a second. Maybe he shouldn’t be pushing Dex like this, but frankly, this dynamic that they’ve started, frantically scrambling for a few minutes of alone time and then awkwardly ignoring one another in front of the team, is getting ridiculous. Nursey clasps his hands around the sides of Dex’s face and looks him straight in his clear golden eyes. “Look. I really like you. I just want to spend more time with you.”  


Dex blushes, the red spreading in his cheeks like blossoming rose petals. “I…want to spend more time with you, too. But could we maybe just do it here?”  


“Sure,” Nursey answers, and Dex looks relieved, eyes large with gratitude.  


“I’m really sorry, Nursey, it’s just-”  


“Don’t apologize. ‘I would not wish any companion in the world but you.’ ”  


“Ugh, not Shakespeare again.”  


“Yes Shakespeare again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the brief hiatus. School is bad.  
> Also Shakespeare! I sincerely apologise for that.


	6. Lucky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just some terribly awkward character development and an attempt at PG smut for your enjoyment

Dex has a boyfriend. Sort of. He’s smart and funny and attractive. He showers Dex with affection, treats him with respect, and makes his heart rate quicken when he smiles. And he is currently knocking the rhythm of "Dancing Queen" on Dex’s bedroom door.  


Taking a deep breath, Dex gingerly turns the knob and moves aside as Nursey slips past. He’s not really sure how this ‘date’ is supposed to work, but he’s definitely way too nervous for it. Nursey waits patiently until the door is safely closed before planting a lazy kiss on Dex and flopping down onto the bed. “So what do you want to do?”  


Dex blushes at the hint of a suggestion in the question and holds up his phone. “Um, we could order pizza?”  


“Sounds good to me.”  


Dex tentatively sits on the edge of the bed, tensing up when Nursey prods him with his foot.  
“Dude, get over here. I didn’t come here to watch you be awkward. I came so we could be awkward together.”  


“You’re such a dork,” Dex says, feeling a smile captivate his lips despite his attempt to exhibit exasperation. He leans back on the bed and intertwines his fingers in Nursey’s.  


“That’s better,” Nursey says, grinning.

When the pizza arrives, they eat it on the ground because Dex doesn’t want crumbs in his bed, goddammit. Nursey complains that the floor is cold and hard, so they build themselves a pillow fort and pull down Dex’s comforter. At first, Nursey attempts to show off his gallantry and lets Dex use the comforter for himself, but eventually the two of them end up smushed together in a dense gathering of cushions, huddled under the blanket for warmth.  


“Tell me about your house again,” Dex whispers into Nursey’s neck as he shifts his head to lean on his shoulder.  


Nursey smiles wistfully. “Well...uh, the rooms had these huge glass windows and there was a hidden closet under the staircase like in Harry Potter,” Nursey begins. “And I remember when I was really little, I would go out on the fire escape at night to try and look for stars. But I never saw any. Downsides of being a city kid, I guess.”  


“My siblings and I sometimes slept in the backyard in summer. ‘Cause our house got crowded with visitors and relatives and stuff. One night we stayed up all night making up our own constellations,” Dex says.  


Nursey laughs quietly. “Hm. I never had any siblings… I did have the whole house to myself a lot though. I got to slide down the banisters and eat whatever I wanted, but…I guess it got a little lonely sometimes.”  


Dex brushes his lips against Nursey’s ear. “Good thing you’ve got me.”  


“Yeah, good thing,” Nursey responds, turning his face to run a series of kisses over Dex’s cheek. Nursey’s lips are still sticky and sweet from the ginger ale they ordered with the pizza, and Dex tilts his head to tentatively slide his tongue over them, delving ever deeper as his heart explodes in his chest. He flutters with a tingle of nervous excitement as Nursey runs his hands over his arms and then his waist, but it shifts into a panic as Nursey reaches the tops of his pants and starts to unbutton them. Dex breaks free, breathless.  


“Wait, wait, stop,” he says, acutely aware of the embarrassed blotchy red blush currently adorning his face.  


Nursey immediately backs off, looking nervous. “I’m sorry, Dex. I-I should’ve asked, I mean-”  


“It-it’s fine. It’s just, this is all new to me, you know? I do want to eventually, I just…I don’t know if I’m ready.”  


Nursey gazes at him for a second, still looking flustered, but quickly regains his composure and nods.  


Dex looks down, feeling the hint of tears starting to sting in his eyes. “Is that, like, okay?”  


“Of course it’s okay, Dex. I want you to be comfortable with me. I know this is new, and I would never make you do anything you’re not ready for.”  


“Thanks Nursey.” Dex really doesn’t deserve him.  


“Don’t thank me. I should be thanking you for letting me kiss your beautiful face.”  


Dex grins in spite of himself as Nursey presses a kiss to his cheek and casually throws an arm around him. Dex is so lucky to have a boyfriend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is it just me, or is this getting fluffier? Ugh...why have I done this.


	7. Finally

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys try to find some alone time in the Haus, which is full of beautifully insane hockey bros

“Dammit,” Nursey protests halfheartedly as Dex lets out a whoop. “Must you always beat me at this game?” he asks resignedly, putting down his controller.

“I’m afraid so. None have mastered the ways of Olimar like I have,” Dex answers smugly.

“Dude, chill.”

It’s a Saturday night at the Haus and Nursey and Dex have spent the last couple hours sitting on the couch playing Super Smash Bros, chirping each another, and flirting with the ease that only two people who have admitted their mutual attraction for one another can achieve. 

“Hey guys!” It’s Chowder, aglow with excitement as he and Farmer come flouncing into the living room. “Whatcha doing?”

“Uh, nothing. Homework,” Dex says embarrassedly, then blushes deeply after realizing how obvious it is that they are not, in fact, doing homework.

Farmer narrows her eyes and then laughs. “Yeah, right. Quit hogging the TV. Let’s see what you guys got.”

Nursey senses a sigh of relief escape Dex and smiles easily. “Sure, come join us.”

“So, do you guys wanna hear about our date?” Chowder says enthusiastically as he plops down on the floor beside Farmer and grabs a controller.

“Um, not really no,” Dex answers, smirking.

“Yeah dude, I’d honestly rather listen to Dex talk about fixing Bitty’s oven,” Nursey says.

“Hey!” Dex says with a feeble glare.

“Well, Chowder and I had a great time, didn’t we sweetie?” Farmer asks, gently nudging a slightly deflated Chowder. He grins and picks up a controller. “Yup, you guys are just jealous that you’ll never find anyone as perfect as Farmer.”

“Oh ew, dude. Cooties, man, gross,” Nursey says dramatically as Chowder leans over to give Farmer a peck on the cheek.

“Oh god, my eyes are burning,” Dex adds equally dramatically.

 

They settle back into the game quickly, suffering collectively as Dex proceeds to defeat them all with Olimar. Nursey finally wins one round and Farmer wins two, so they all end up chirping Chowder on his terrible lack of skills. 

Dex and Nursey tire of the game eventually and decide to take a break. They sit watching when Ransom and Holster come bumbling energetically into the living room.

“What is happening here? A tournament? A battle of wits and strength? How were we not invited?” Holster booms. He proceeds to plop himself down on the couch between Dex and Nursey just as Dex manages to sneakily enfold his hand in Nursey’s. He jumps back with a start as Ransom drops down beside Holster and throws an arm around Dex. “Thought you could keep us away eh?”

“Um,” Dex says.

“Now, witness the glory as we take you all down in battle!” Holster yells, grabbing an idle controller. 

“Yes. We’re going to wipe the floor with your froggie asses,” Ransom adds emphatically.

Nursey smiles to himself as Holster yells animatedly at the television and Ransom takes on a look of severe concentration.

“Hey, let’s go see what Bitty’s up to,” he says, pulling on Dex’s sleeve. “C’mon.” Dex nods and follows Nursey into the kitchen.

“That’s right! Run, you cowards!” Holster shouts after them.

 

“Hm. Those boys sure can get tiresome, huh?” Bitty says, wiping at his brow as he leans over the oven. He pulls out a beautiful golden pie with sparkling sugarcoated hatchings crisscrossed over the top.

“Wow, looks good Bitty,” Nursey says, warily eyeing the countless pies stacked up on the counter that all look just like it.

“Oh, thanks. It’s, um, maple sugar crusted apple,” he says distractedly. “I can’t quite get it right, though. I’m trying to perfect it before Jack and Shitty, uh, you know.” He looks down at the ground for a moment, like he can’t bring himself to say “graduate.”

“Oh. Yeah,” Dex utters, his gaze following Nursey’s. “Hey, I’m sure you guys will have no trouble staying in touch. But I know it’s tough. I’m going to miss them, too.” 

Bitty smiles, a little more shakily than usual, but seems to brighten up. He puts the pie down next to the piles of others and takes out a knife, gently slicing two large pieces and putting them on plates. “I thought you two could try some. Be my guinea pigs, if you will.”

Nursey and Dex happily munch on their pie as Bitty hums quietly and bustles around the kitchen. The warmth and smells of the kitchen envelop Nursey and he turns with a surge of comfortable affection to wink at Dex. He gets nothing but an exasperated eye roll in return, although it doesn’t stop Dex from hooking his ankle around Nursey’s.

Jack wanders in a few minutes later. “Oh, hello boys. How’s it going?” he says sliding into a seat at the table. They nod in greeting as Jack turns to Bitty, “Smells nice in here. You know how I feel about your compulsive pie-baking, but I guess it is a Saturday, so I’ll let you off this one time.”

“Well, gee, thanks,” Bitty answers with an eye roll and a plate of pie. “Just eat it and stop complaining, for the love of God.”

“What? Complaining? You didn’t hear me complaining.”

“Sure I didn’t,” Bitty says, shaking his head.

Nursey finishes off his pie and licks the last crumbs off his plate, much to the disgust of a certain redhead sitting across from him. 

“Hey Nursey, you wanna, uh, head back to the living room?” Dex asks as he starts to stand up.

“Oh, yeah, sure,” Nursey says, pushing out from the table and grabbing his plate. “Thanks for the pie, Bitty. It was great.”

“Anytime, boys.”

 

They leave Jack and Bitty to their chirping over compulsive pie-baking and head to the living room. Nursey is about to announce their return to the “tournament,” as Holster had dubbed it, when Dex grabs his hand and leads him up the stairs. “Let’s go this way.”

As they step into the upstairs hallway they are beckoned over by Lardo and Shitty, who sit huddled together giggling over some funny story about Lardo’s art friends.

“Hey bros, how’s life?” Shitty says, flourishing a bag of gummy worms in Nursey’s face.

“Uh, you know. Good,” Nursey answers, casually waving the bag back towards Shitty. Lardo pats him on the shoulder. “Good, good.”

“Look at these beauts. You guys could be like, the knights of the fucking round table,” Shitty declares, waving his arms dramatically. “Wilthur Poindragon and Sir Nursealot.” 

“Dude,” Lardo says, snickering into the bag of gummy worms.

“Wait, are you guys high?” Dex asks in slight disapproval. 

“Yes. Very,” Lardo replies, patting Dex’s face. “You have nice skin. Take care of that face, little man.”

“Um, ok.”

“Dude, let’s go,” Nursey says. He bites back the laughter swirling on his tongue as Dex looks up at him, bewildered, and takes his hand.

“Later bros,” Shitty yells after them.

 

“Finally, some peace and quiet,” Nursey says as he heaves a sigh and collapses into a heap next to Dex. They’re on the roof of the Haus, sitting outside Bitty’s bedroom window.  
Nursey glances at Dex out of the corner of his eye, heart trembling at the way Dex’s eyes widen when he looks up at the stars. Suddenly, he feels a spontaneous nagging at his chest, a press of loneliness that threatens to crush him. He remembers Bitty’s shaky smile, and realizes that the wave of sadness comes at the thought of the graduating seniors.

“What are you thinking about?” Dex asks

“Oh, uh, I guess I’m really going to miss Jack and Shitty. When they leave, you know?”

“Yeah.”

“It kind of makes me feel lonely. Like, we’re all going to leave someday, we’ll all split up, and our existences will be totally separate. We won’t even be a part of each other’s lives anymore.”

Dex is silent for a moment. “Fuck that, dude.”

“What?”

“You-you shouldn’t worry about that, because, you’ll always have me, alright? After we graduate, I’m not going anywhere without you.”

Nursey pauses, caught off-guard for a moment. “Aww, Dex, you really do care.”

“Shut up, asshole.”

“Hey Dex.”

“What.”

“...I love you."

“…”

“…”

“I-I love you too, Nurse.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, this chapter is a bit longer than the others, but I wanted to have some fluffy interactions with the rest of the hockey team (plus Lardo and Farmer) 
> 
> Also, this chapter is really dialogue heavy becuase characters interacting and stuff. Also the end. Words.
> 
> I love them so much I think I might actually die.


	8. Stuff to Deal With

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The angst, born from the ashes of fluff, rises up and rears its ugly head

Dex walks in silence as night falls. He and Nursey amble around campus, shoulders brushing against each other comfortably. As the trees begin to darken against the sky and the path starts to split off in opposite directions, Nursey makes a move to follow Dex as he begins to say goodbye for the night. Dex pauses and raises his eyebrow by a fraction.

“I’ll walk you home,” Nursey says, smiling easily. “I can’t have anything bad happening to you while you’re all alone at night.” He reaches out to tap Dex on the nose.  
Dex rolls his eyes and swats Nursey’s hand away. 

“Fine. But next time, I’m walking you home.”

“Deal.”

They stop at Dex’s dorm and Nursey leans in to for a good night kiss. Dex tentatively responds but quickly draws away. As his eyes flutter open, he catches a glimpse of some darkened figures nearby and widens his eyes in alarm. He pushes back from Nursey and turns towards the steps immediately, but not before noticing the flash of hurt in his boyfriend’s eyes. 

“Um, sorry, I’ll talk to you later.”

“Ok,” Nursey answers. He recovers quickly and waves a relaxed hand, but there’s a hint of tension that still lingers in his eyes that sends a pang of guilt shooting through Dex’s chest.

“I’ll talk to you later,” he repeats stupidly, trying to pour as much affection as he can muster into the phrase.

“Yeah. Cool.”

 

Dex’s phone starts buzzing as he plops himself down on his bed and pulls out some books. He picks it up and brings it to his ear.

“Hello.”

“Hi Will, what are you doing?” Dex smiles as his little sister’s voice comes echoing across the line. 

“Just homework, like you should be doing.”

“I already finished my homework. This is mommy’s phone by the way. She said she wants to talk to you because you don’t call her enough.”

“Ok well, lemme talk to her then.”

“Okay but wait ‘cause she’s upstairs.”

“I’m waiting.”

 

“Hello, William. How’s school?”

“Hi mom. It’s pretty good. You know.”

“Uh huh. We’re all very excited that you’re going to be coming back home soon.”

“Yeah. It’ll be great to see you all again. I’m gonna miss the guys, though, especially Nursey.” The words slip out before he can stop them. They hang there for a moment.

“Oh, you sure do talk about him a lot.” His mother’s voice sounds different. Forced? Anxious? He’s just being paranoid, as usual. “From what I hear, you two have gotten a lot closer since the start of the year,” she adds.

“Um yeah. Well, we see each other a lot…what with…hockey and all.”

“Right. Hockey and all,” his mother echoes quietly. “You know, I feel like you’ve gotten more distant lately, sweetie, you should call more often.”

“Mom, I called you like four days ago.”

“Alright. Well, you know me. I’m old-fashioned.”

“Ha, yeah. I know,” he answers, the response sounding more resentful than intended.

“Well, I do want to hear from you more.”

“I know. I’ve just been busy,” Dex responds.

“Well, you seem to be having fun. But not too much fun, I hope. Remember, you’re there to learn.”

“Yes. I am aware of that…speaking of homework, I should probably go, so I can finish doing it.”

“Okay,” his mother says, a hint of disappointment in her voice. “I just don’t want you to forget your family.”

“Mom, relax. I love you guys. I’ll be home soon.”

“Alright. Love you too. And…you know you can always come to me if you need to? You can tell me anything.”

Dex stops for a second, fiery guilt blossoming in his chest. “…I know mom. Uh, good night.”

“Good night, William.”

 

The next morning at breakfast, the team sits crowded around a table sharing stories and butter knives. Dex spreads marmalade on his toast with great concentration, feeling the tension ripple around him as he tries desperately to keep his arm from brushing Nursey’s. 

“Yo, Dex, could you pass the jam?” Holster shouts from the other end of the table. Dex jumps, knocked out of his thoughts, before hurriedly grabbing the jam and waving it in Holster’s direction. 

“Are you okay, dude?” Nursey asks, placing a hand on his arm and looking at him with concern.

“Um, yeah, I’m fine,” Dex answers, shrugging off Nursey’s hand before anyone else can comment on the intimate action. He regrets it almost immediately as Nursey turns away, olive eyes murky. The silence between them all throughout breakfast is suffocating.

 

Dex and Nursey sit in the Haus living room, trying to avoid the awkwardness between them, until finally Dex snaps, unable to further endure it. 

“Nurse. Hey, look, I know this is tough for you, and I’m not making it easy…” he says pleadingly.

“What am I to you?”

“What?” Dex furrows his brow, taken aback.

“Look dude, I just, I feel like I don’t even know you. Like, you’re so focused on showing this distance between us to other people that you’re creating real distance between us. Why are you always pushing me away?” He looks hurt, his usual relaxed attitude lost to the surrounding pressure in the air.

“I never wanted to push you away, Nursey, I just. You knew it was going to be like this.”

“Yeah. I thought I did. I just-I don’t care about all those other people, you know? All I care about is you and being with you, but now I can’t even do that because you won’t let me in.”

“I let you in,” Dex says quietly.

“No, dude, all I ever do is sneak around and crave your company, and then as soon as we’re actually together, you act like I’m some dirty magazine that you have to keep hidden under your bed!”

“What? How could you even suggest that? I have a lot of stuff to deal with, and I’m trying too!” Dex responds, furious.

“We all have ‘stuff to deal with,’ okay? And I put so much of myself out there for you. So why do I feel like you’re not invested in us?” Nursey’s tone is calmer, now. The fire fades from his eyes as he stares at the ground, wounded.

“I am invested. I just-”

“Just what?”

“…”

“I have to go. I’m late for class.”

Dex lets him go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the hiatus. Summer is busier than expected. 
> 
> Still feeling the babies, but they have issues that I must touch upon.  
> Does this chapter make sense???? Like for the characters and stuff??? Nursey's trying like rlly hard but Dex is scared about what it all means for his family and stuff, so he ends up pushing away? Is that justified? Like they both have their legitimate arguments, but they're still struggling because angst and random sexual tension? Idk, I'm so lost in this story at this point.


	9. The Skeleton in the Closet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorting out feelings at Bitty's bday party. Nursey posts on Twitter. They also might have a bonding moment in a closet. Yes, I'm sorry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title is just for puns because gay.

Nursey clutches Bitty’s phone and smiles as the new Haus oven is proudly revealed. Remembering that he has Bitty’s Twitter account to manage, he lifts the phone’s camera to his eye to snap a picture of the moment and feels his breath catch in his chest when his eyes fall on Dex, smiling fondly at Bitty, his golden eyes glowing from across the room. Nursey sighs and takes the picture anyway. He looks down at it. Bitty’s dramatically taken aback stance brings a quiet smirk to Nursey’s lips, but he find he can’t quite drag his eyes away from a certain checkered blue shirt and ruffled head of orange hair.

It’s been about a week since their big argument, and Nursey can’t help but feel like it was his fault. He was the one who ended up pushing Dex away even though the only thing he’d ever really wanted was to get closer, to close that callously cold, yet searing hot bridge between them and grip the real Dex in his arms, soft and pink and angry and beautiful. But he’d messed up. He always started taking things for granted right when he needed them most. Like when his parents started staying later at work every night, and Nursey suddenly had to get used to being alone in that huge apartment. Like when he got sent to prep school and he realized that suppressing his true self just made him lonelier. Like when he dropped his laptop in the lake and lost an entire semester’s collection of poetry. Like when he lost Dex. His worst friend, his best friend. His boyfriend?

“Aww, Nursey, that’s such a cute pic!” Nursey looks up at the sound of Chowder’s voice and smiles as the pale, black-haired boy leans in to excitedly inspect the masterpiece.

“Thanks.”

“Hey, yeah. Nice capture of Shitty grinning from around the corner,” Farmer adds, peeking over Chowder’s shoulder.

Nursey laughs and posts the picture to Bitty’s Twitter, captioning it, “He saw it.”

 

The party is chaos, with the whole hockey team and practically all of Samwell (minus the lax bros) stuffed haphazardly into the Haus. There’s laughter and conversation and Nursey loses track of Dex, but he’s honestly sort of relieved. Every moment his gaze falls on Dex is a moment of regret and panic. The party continues at full swing and Nursey manages to take another photo. This time it’s of Bitty with his face pressed into Jack’s chest, tears of joy staining his gray shirt as Jack smiles and holds him gently. Nursey posts it without a caption.

His mind flits back to thoughts of Dex. They haven’t really spoken in a week, but Nursey is sorry. He wants to talk, to sort things out, to not leave them the way they’d been left. He doesn’t want it to be over. But every time he tries to smile at Dex from across the table at breakfast, catch up with him when he sees him walking on campus, or sit down beside him, Dex avoids his eyes, speeds up, or simply gets up and leave. This is exactly what he’d expected. This is so…Dex. Why does he always have to let his emotions and insecurities hinder his happiness? Nursey glares at the wall. 

“Dude. You good?” A bony hand claps him on the shoulder and Nursey looks up as Shitty plops down on the couch beside him. 

“Uh, yeah, I’m good. Just distracted.”

“End-of-the-year feels catching up to ya?”

“You could say that.”

“Look, man, all I’m gonna say is… whatever it is you’re upset about, you should deal with it before school ends. You don’t wanna leave it hanging, trust me. Summer’s too short to let it be ruined by all this torturous adolescent angst,” Shitty says sagely, throwing an arm around Nursey and shaking with laughter. “Give it a shot.”

“I think I will. Thanks, man.” Nursey smiles.

 

The party slowly begins to wrap up, until it’s just a few members of the team left to clean up. Nursey finds himself alone in Bitty’s room, picking up scraps of pie and paper plates as well as the occasional beer and soda cans. People usually aren’t allowed upstairs for Haus parties, but they always find their way up there anyway, especially when sailing off of the high from a combination of Bitty’s warm coconut cream pie and Shitty’s endless supply of beer. Dex appears in the doorway right as Nursey tosses the last couple napkins in Bitty’s wastepaper basket. There is an audible silence.

“Um. Bitty just wanted me to get something for him.” Dex moves to the closet and steps inside. Nursey walks up to him and stands outside the closet, watching as Dex rummages through the endless trove of treasures stuffed into the tiny space.

“Dude, Dex. We need to talk.” There’s a pause.

“…Okay,” Dex answers, back still turned as he reaches up to check the closet’s top shelf.

“What, seriously, just like that? You avoid me for a whole week and then just say ‘okay’ when I ask you to talk?”

“Look…I want to talk, too. Just help me find this dumb apron first,” Dex says, a fierce red blush bursting from his collar. “It’s pink with crossed hockey sticks on the front,” he adds quickly, almost embarrassed. 

Nursey smiles. This is the Dex he’s used to. He steps into the closet, shutting the door and turning on the light, filling the closet with a dim, flickering hum. He starts leafing through the clothes Bitty has hung up. They work in tense silence.

 

“Ugh, it’s not here. We’ll never find it!” Dex angrily shoves at the walls and forcefully drops to the floor. Nursey stops, and then joins him, seated amongst Bitty’s shoes and other odds and ends. He picks up a plastic spatula and tentatively drags it across the floor in little shapes as he avoids looking at Dex. Suddenly, Dex makes a noise. A tiny whimper, a sharp, quiet intake of breath, and something like a… Nursey looks up. There is Dex, crying. Tears glitter in tracks along his face and he tries to smile ruefully as Nursey meets his gaze, but just blinks harder as more tears silently spill from his eyes and he wipes his nose on his sleeve. 

“Dex?” Panic. Nursey closes the distance between them and sits quietly beside his friend, hands rested gently on either side of his face. The spatula lies forgotten on the other side of the closet. Nursey desperately wipes at Dex’s tears with his thumb, unaware of the burning in his chest as his heart picks up speed. Dex sniffles. “I messed up. I’m sorry. I’m a dick.”

Nursey closes the space between them and smushes their lips together, getting a faceful of Dex’s snot, salty wet tears, and teeth as they frantically crash into each other. He pulls away, grinning. 

“Yeah, you are. But, so am I. I don’t care about if people know about us, and I don’t give a shit about having to kiss you in secret, because at least I get to kiss you.”

Dex rolls his eyes, though the effect is somewhat lessened by the sparkling wetness of his residual tears. 

“Ugh, so corny.” He grins. “But, I mean, I do want to come out. With you. Soon. I’m just scared, and I know it’s stupid, but I need time,” he says, looking up at Nursey hopefully.

“I know.” Nursey kisses him again, breathless as Dex’s strong arms wrap around his neck and pull him tighter. They tumble over and suddenly they’re laughing as they struggle to steady themselves while rolling around amongst Bitty’s shoes and plastic spatulas. They kiss frenziedly, limbs a tangled mess, mouths red and tingling. Nursey pulls away and looks down at Dex, freckles like stars, eyes glowing like coals in a warm hearth. He leans down, catching Dex’s lips in his own for a moment, feeling the crackle of his touch when Dex’s fingers rake through his hair, and then comes up again, pulling Dex with him into a sitting position. They stare at each other and a sigh of relief escapes Dex as he leans forward and presses his face into Nursey’s neck. His tears are still wet on his face and Nursey’s heart rate quickens as Dex tangles his fingers in Nursey’s shirt, fingers clutching at his chest.

“I missed you,” the redhead says simply, his words muffled and soft, but clear in Nursey’s ears.

“We’re gonna be okay,” Nursey says quietly.

“Well, duh.”

“Way to ruin the moment, Poindexter.”

“I’m a man of many talents.”

“Clearly.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, all the drama and angst wrapped up in two short chapters because I literally cannot deal with the pain. 
> 
> I kinda like how this chapter turned out (ง’̀-‘́)ง


	10. About Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dex finds himself

“Thanks,” Dex murmurs, his eyes flicking appreciatively up at Bitty, who places a slice of warm apple pie beside him.

“No trouble at all. You better expect to be stocked up on pie in the week that I have you here before summer starts. I must relish the time I have left with this gorgeous new oven,” Bitty answers, turning to smile adoringly at his prized possession. Dex grins, trying not to look too pleased with himself.

“And don’t think I’ve forgotten who installed it so expertly,” Bitty adds, heaping another slice of pie onto Dex’s plate.

“Glad you like it,” Dex offers, feeling the tips of his ears turn pink with pride.

“Hm. Wrapping up your work for the year?” Bitty asks, gesturing to Dex’s computer.

“Yeah. It’s been really fun, but I kind of can’t wait to go home,” Dex says. Bitty pauses, a sad smile lingering on his face for a moment too long before brightening and turning back to his friend. “Right. Me too!” He turns around quickly.

“Um, is something wrong?” Dex asks, concern touching his voice.

“Oh no, well yes. I suppose.”

Dex waits.

“It’s just, I still haven’t come out to my parents, you know? I’m just scared about what Coach will say, mostly. I know they’ll still love me and want me in their lives, but I’m scared that they won’t see me the same way, like I won’t just be their son anymore. I’ll be their _gay_ son.”

“I know. That really sucks, man,” Dex says, sincerity weaving the simple words into a blossom of comfort. Bitty looks down at him, a little surprised. Dex doesn’t blame him. He had never quite been able to shield his uneasiness whenever the topic of sexuality was brought up in the team. Bitty had probably taken it as a sign that he was uncomfortable with it, and very rarely brought it up around him. And yet here they are, discussing it on a personal level, and there was something so reassuring about the way Bitty’s outburst sent tingles of familiarity and understanding ringing through Dex’s brain. He looks up at Bitty expectantly.

“Um, well. I mean, I’m proud to know who I am, and I want to be able to embrace it, but I’m just scared, I guess. It’s almost pathetic, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it kinda seems that way,” Dex says, then quickly adds, “But that doesn’t make it wrong. We all, uh, we all do things differently, pace things differently, in a way that makes us feel comfortable.”

“You’re right,” Bitty says, looking down at Dex with a quiet smile. “You are much too wise for your age, Dex.”

“Hah, I wish.”

“What do you mean?” Bitty asks, putting a gentle hand on his shoulder and fixing him with a motherly, brown-eyed stare.

“Uh, nothing. I’m just, I’ve done some really stupid things.”

“We all have, honey.”

“I know. I just hate the way I am sometimes. I can’t even-” _can’t even come out to my best friends. Friends who I know will love me and accept me for who I am. I’m just a coward. A lying, stupid coward who’s taking advantage of my stupidly nice boyfriend for my own stupid benefit._ “can’t even figure out what I want from life, you know?” he finishes lamely.

Bitty nods knowingly. “Don’t worry, Dex. Like you just said. It takes time. And different people sometimes need different amounts of time to find themselves and to decide how to reflect that. Once you do, you’ll know it immediately. I have faith in you.”

Dex isn’t sure how to respond to such a statement, so he utters an eloquent, “Um,” and then, “Thanks, Bitty.”

“You’re very welcome. Now eat your pie.”

 

Dex ambles back to his dorm, full of pie. The sun is hot on his back, and he flicks away the sweat on his brow, setting his course for the welcome shade of a tree a few feet away. He thumps down in the grass, letting the softened darkness dapple his skin in an effort to shield him from the blazing heat overhead. His phone rings. It’s Nursey.

“Hey bro.” His voice is deep and languid, and Dex feels the taut tension of his shoulders relax a little as it washes over him.

“Do you have to call me ‘bro’? We’re like, dating.”

“Okay. Hey, baby, how was your day, cutie pants?"

Dex wrinkles his nose. “Okay, shut up. I never said anything. Don’t do that. Please.”

A chuckle vibrates through the phone and Dex smiles at the ground.

“So, uh, how was your day, though?”

“Uh, good. I finished up a paper and hung out with Bitty in the kitchen. He’s really excited about the new oven.”

“Well so am I. For a second there, I was worried we’d have to last the final month of school without his delicious confections.” Nursey stops to heave a dramatic sigh before letting a soft laugh escape his lips. “I don’t know how I’m going to make it through the summer without the spicy delight that is his pumpkin chiffon pie.”

“True,” Dex agrees, nodding even though Nursey can’t see it.

“Uh, speaking of summer, did you wanna like, hang out at all?” Nursey sounds unsure, tentative, and Dex winces, knowing it’s his fault that Nursey feels the need to tread so carefully.

“Yeah, of course,” he says.

“Okay, cool, ‘cause my parents aren’t really going to be around this summer. They’re going on a month-long vacation to India for their anniversary and then it’s back to business trips.”

Dex frowns. “You’re being left alone all summer? Isn’t this the chance to like, hang out with your family, and like, catch up after nine months?”

“Well, of course I’ll see them. I’m just saying they’re not here all summer, so I’m totally free and not obligated to do the whole family time thing.”

“Actually, I’m afraid you are obligated to ‘do the whole family time thing,’ Nurse.”

“Um, no.”

“Um, yes. Because you’re coming over to my house this summer.” He says it without a moment’s hesitation, proud of the even, confident way the words had slipped out.

“…”

“Uh, Nursey?” He’s quiet. Dex starts to second-guess…

“Yeah?” Still quiet.

“You uh, I mean, you don’t have to come if you don’t want to.”

“No. I want to. I really, really want to.” Nursey sounds excited, breathless, nervous? His voice wraps itself around Dex’s heart the way Nursey’s soft, broad hands envelop Dex’s smaller ones.

“Whoa, don’t get too excited. You’ll only be meeting the largest, most annoying family you’ve ever had the misfortune to experience, all while being expected to cook, clean, and do chores. Oh, and you’ll probably have to sleep on the floor.”

“Well, as long as I get to sleep next to you…”

Dex groans, bringing his palm to his forehead. “You’re insufferable.”

“You love it.”

 _Yeah, I kinda do_ , Dex thinks to himself, smiling absently at the sky. And that’s when he feels it: the tug in his gut, the hot and suffocating rush of affection, and he suddenly can no longer bear it.

“Hah. Uh, listen, can I call you back? There’s something I have to do.”

“Um, okaaaay. Get back to me though.”

“Yup, will do.”

“Cool,” Nursey says.

“Bye. Love you.” It comes naturally, glides through his lips before he knows he’s saying it.

“Love ya.”

 

Dex sits for a moment, breathing. In, out. In, out. IN, OUT. Okay.

Someone picks up on the third ring.

“Hey, hon, what’s up?”

“Hello? Mom?"

"Yes, hello, dear."

"Hi. Um, I just, well…you know Nursey? My hockey friend?”

“Yes, of course I remember him.”

“Uh, well, I…I have to tell you something.”

“…Yes?”

“It’s about us. About me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Family is important to Dex <3


	11. Epilogue (of Sorts)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On the road again

“So, uh…your parents know we’re like, a thing, right?” Nursey asks. He sits in the passenger seat of Dex’s car as they glide along the highway.

“Oh. Um, yeah. I told them already, remember? They’re, uh, they said they’re excited to meet you,” Dex answers, going pink around the ears.

“Aw, look at my Dexy-doo, coming out of his shell like the beautiful lobster he is.”

“Lobsters don’t come out of their shells, idiot. They molt. You’re thinking of, like, hermit crabs or whatever.”

“Wow, what a nerd.”

“Shut up. I can not wait to see you fall on your ass when I take you out on the lobster boat.”

“Please. I’m far too coordinated and delicate.”

“Says the guy who managed to drop his laptop in the lake and spill a bowl of cereal on my head in the same day.”

“Still salty, huh? I was excited to see you, what can I say?”

“Right.”

“You’re so cute when you’re flustered.”

“Shut up, Nurse.”

They kept driving, Dex pink with concentration, his steady hands on the steering wheel, Nursey peaceful and soft, lazily reclined in his seat; they shift with the turns of the winding roads and catch each other’s eyes for a second and laugh, gently shaping one another’s realities as they sit together in both comfortable silence and easy conversation. Wheels turn along the deep black asphalt as trees and buildings whiz past and day quietly shifts into night. They never stop and they never turn back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we've come full circle with another road trip.  
> This time, they've admitted their love for one another and are stable and happy and I love them omg  
> I might write another follow up thing later who knows.   
> idek im so done like i apolgise.


End file.
